Project Survivor

PROJECT SURVIVOR

After World War II ended, the United States military began a private program to lower the casualty rate of United States soldiers. After years of genetic engineering, scientists have been able to create a serum to enhance soldiers.
Subjects are now able to run speeds up to 30 miles per hour, find a needle in a landfill by smell, and tear through 2 inches of steel. Subjects’ appearance has also been altered: the pupil has constricted into a small slit, red irises caused by blood swelling in the eye, tough, grey skin resembling a rhinoceros's, lengthened arms to run on all fours, a hooked nose, razor sharp claws and three sets of fangs.
The serum seems to have only one fault; it makes the subjects hungry for human flesh and blood.

Introducing, Project Survivor

Days since Containment Failure: 1

A blonde woman stands in front of a mirror, weighing her outfit options. She has fair, cream skin, perfectly styled blonde hair that falls down to her middle back, shining hazel eyes, a small nose, and full, pink lips. She has a lovely hourglass shape and long legs, reaching her up to 5 foot 8. A knock sounds at her door, drawing her attention towards the entrance.
“Miss Opal-” Her father’s butler, Charles, greets.
He’s a tall man, reaching about 6 foot, with a well-built body. He has strong facial features which have been softened slightly by age and soft brown eyes.
“Charles!” Opal gasps and turns around, showing the outfits, “Which do you think?”
“I think both will look quite nice on you, Miss Opal.”
She huffs, feeling a strong dilemma between both outfits. “Your father has returned home.” A look of delight fills her eyes and she holds both outfits in her hands. “I’ll go and get his opinion!” She nearly skips out her bedroom door and struts down the hall towards the stairs. She reaches the top and sees her father at the bottom.
He’s an older man with blonde hair and beard that’s streaked with white. He has steel eyes and a strong face. His body is built leanly and he reaches about 5 foot 11, clad in a military uniform decorated in medals.
“Hi, Daddy!” She greets and he looks up at her.
“Hey Pumpkin. I missed you.” He greets, looking up at her with tired eyes.
“Me too. Which one do you think would suit me better?” She asks, still at the top of the stairs looking down. Her father opens his mouth to reply when a strangled, pained groan comes from his mouth. He doubles over and Opal looks at him in worry, asking, “Daddy?” Her father doesn’t reply, his pained groans getting louder. “Daddy?” She asks again, beginning to descend down the stairs. As she steps down, she begins to hear bones popping and skin ripping along with her father’s cries becoming distorted.
“Daddy? What’s happening?” She asks, panic appearing in her tone and he turns to her, his nose hooked like a goblin and his eyes becoming blood red.
“No! Stay away!” He growls out, his voice sounding monstrous. She pauses in her steps and watches as he looks away from her, her father’s skin turning into a dark grey. He looks back and this time, his pupils are constricted like a cat’s.
He roars and Opal tries to climb the stairs backward, her heel catching and causing her to trip and fall. Her father, or what used to be her father, lunges towards Opal, newly acquired fangs and claws bared for attack. She screams and a silver tray flies through the air past her, hitting her father in the face, which stall him.
Opal looks behind her to her savior, Charles, who has a kitchen knife in hand.
“Go to the bunker, Miss Opal. I will buy you as much time as I can.” Charles states and Opal takes off running towards the hidden elevator. She enters in time to hear Charles scream in pain, the sound causing her to frantically press the ‘down’ button.
The doors close and Opal breathes a sigh of relief for her own safety. Claws scrape at the door, piercing through the steel and opening a gap large enough for her to see her infected father. She screams, pressing herself against the far wall away from the door. The elevator slowly lowers, causing the creature to cry out in loss of his hunt. The door opens in the bunker and Opal rushes out, grabbing as many supplies she can carry and a revolver before running to a blank wall, her polished hands feeling around desperately. She hears a taunting clanking noise, fear fueling her search. One of her fingers presses in and the wall slides open, revealing the secret exit of the bunker.
She races up the dirt slope toward the street, her heels scraping against the dirt. She darts in a straight line from the house, fear clouding her vision. She rams into something, the force knocking her backward, her bottom hitting the ground. “Opal? Are you okay?” A smooth male voice asks and she looks up, seeing Nicholas Perez, star football champion of Mornesse, Colorado, their hometown.
He has a strong, lean build, reaching about 6 foot 2. He has ear length brown hair that frames his handsome face. His sweet brown eyes are enough to make any girl swoon paired with a dashing smile framed by a light beard scruff coating his Latino skin, Nicholas is clearly the most handsome man in the town. He’s wearing a white t-shirt with his blue letterman jacket and faded jeans.
“No, I’m not okay. Dad came home and then he began turning into some kind of monster and he killed Charles! I barely made it out alive!” She exclaims, looking around in a paranoid manner.
Just as she finishes speaking, a group of 8 creatures runs into the streets, the former members of the community having lost all sense of thought. Opal becomes paralyzed in fear, her hazel eyes wide and set on the group. “Snap out of it!” Nicholas grabs her arm and pulls her along as he starts running to get them off of the streets.
They rush behind a building and wait with their breaths held. “Hey there.” A raspy, Cajun-accented female voice greets, scaring the pair.
The woman has chocolate colored skin and reaches about 6 foot 6, counting her half foot tall afro. She’s averagely pretty with strong cheekbones and square jaw and her dark eyes reflect untimely wisdom and sense of peace. A pair of headphones rest around her neck, a rainbow pattern on the sides of the ear cuffs. She’s wearing a music sweatshirt and she has black, ripped skinny jeans on.
Besides the African American woman stands a little girl. She has straight black hair and small, dark eyes that shine with a will to fight. She has a young, roundish face and olive skin. She has a small build and reaches about 4 foot 11, quite the contrast to her apparent partner. She has a light blue flannel over a dark blue tank top on and a pair of ripped jeans.
The African American woman leisurely walks to the edge of the building and looks out into the street. “Aw, y’all were runnin’ from that lil bunch? My gramma had more chillin’ than that!” She exclaims, chuckling and shaking her head. The little girl enters the street, a machete drawn.
“What is she doing?!” Opal asks, horrified.
“She’s makin’ sure we don’t gotta look over our shoulders.” The woman explains, the little girl’s angry cries of attack and the creatures crying in pain in the background.
“I’m Jo-Jo, that’s Hana.” The woman introduces calmly. “I’m Nicholas, this is Opal.” Nicholas replies and Opal stares at the two in disbelief.
“There are crazy monsters out there and some little girl just went to go and kill them and you two are having a casual conversation! How?!” Opal exclaims and Jo-Jo looks at her. “It’s called poise under pressure. I think it’d do ya some good to have some.”
Opal fumes silently and the little girl calls, “Jo-Jo.” The woman leads the way into the street, Nicholas and Opal following. The little girl points her weapon at a set of garbage cans. Following where the blade is directed, sits a man who stands timidly, asking, “Are they gone?”
He has shaggy, curly red hair that contrasts to his pale, freckled skin. He has dark emerald eyes and thin, pink lips. His face is slender along with his build and he reaches about 5’11. He’s wearing a baggy, black hoodie and dark jeans.
“Yeah, you’re safe for now, honey.” Jo-Jo states and the man climbs out from behind the garbage, reaching back to grab a hiking backpack. “I’m Shawn. Thanks for...getting rid of those...things.” He states, hesitating as he looks around at the wreckage.
Nicholas handles the introductions and him and Shawn converse, Opal moving away from the group for a moment. “Your dad in the military?” Jo-Jo asks and Opal looks at her in shock at the fact. “It’s a small town.” Opal nods and answers, “Yeah, he is, or was.” “Then you know that war ain’t a time to have a breakdown. If you can’t handle it, I’m sure you’ve got a nice ol’ bunker to lay low in and I’ll understand that.”
Silence rests between the two and Opal finally answers, “No, I can handle it.” Jo-Jo nods, “And I can respect that.”
A pair of people exit the library cautiously and make their way to the larger group.
The woman of the pair has wavy, chin-length light brown hair. She has a round face with near pale skin and her lips have a plump bottom lip. She has light blue eyes which are framed with naturally long lashes. She has a pear-shaped build and she reaches about 5 foot 2. She’s wearing an overshirt and a loose tank top along with a pair of jeans and boots.
The man has tousled, inch-length black hair, a rectangular face with dark olive skin and a short beard. He has thick eyebrows and small, dark eyes. Matching his face shape, he has a more rectangular body shape, his height reaching about 5 foot 6. He’s wearing a plain t-shirt with a green overshirt and jeans.
Nicholas’s eyes fall on the woman and he smiles, greeting, “Rosie. Glad to see that you’re still here.”
“You know I’m not going to be killed that easily. Can’t say the same for you though, pretty boy.” She fires back, a teasing smirk on her face. “Who’s this?” Nicholas asks, looking to the man. “Oh, this is Josh. He’s a doctor at the clinic.” She introduces, obviously feeling safer in numbers.
“This is quite the group you have.” A new voice snickers, drawing the group’s attention. They watch as the man slinks out of the alley, his stance resembling a cat.
He has dark hair that’s long enough to cover his eyes but it’s brushed back. He has dark eyes that seem inviting but also threatening. His face is handsome but in a more rugged way, a short beard on his lower face. He’s wearing a beanie on his head and a leather jacket with wool along the collar over a flannel and a black t-shirt.
“I’m Andy.”
“What supplies do you have?” Andy asks, immediately taking charge. “Not enough for this many people.” Opal reports and Shawn perks up, contributing, “There’s a supermarket back there.” Andy nods and commands, “Great, let’s go there.” Shawn starts to lead the way to the store, the rest of the group following.
Shawn pushes the doors of the market open, a little bell dinging. Jo-Jo and Hana go to the ‘Bakery’ part of the store, Shawn goes to the small clothing section, Nicholas going to the gun cabinet in the back with Opal, Josh and Rosie go to the medical isle and Andy watches everyone.
Opal’s heel gets trapped in a crack in the floor and her ankle twists, the blonde woman falling to the ground. “Opal? You okay?” Josh asks, rushing over to her. “My foot hurts.” She whimpers and he removes her heel, looking at the already bluing skin around her ankle.
“It’s badly twisted. Rosie, I need bandages and ibuprofen.”
Rosie quickly grabs the items and hands them to the doctor. Josh delicately wraps Opal’s foot and hands her the pain medications. Opal swallows the pills and Josh helps her up after discarding her other heel. Shawn comes over and helps her put on a pair of tennis shoes. A loud cry causes the group to jump and look to the window. About 8 more of those creatures stand outside of the store. They bust through the glass and Nicholas exits the back room in time to fire a shotgun, a few of the beasts falling. Opal takes the revolver out of her bag and starts firing at the creatures with perfect accuracy. The other members of the group grab what weapons they can and fight off the creatures. More run over at the sound of gunshots and the group begin to feel trapped.
The creatures near the entrance of the store begin to cry in pain and the whole pack directs it’s onslaught to the new threat. After a minute of the group readying for another attack, all of the creatures are down and the last standing is a woman.
She has shoulder length dark hair, threatening dark eyes and a smaller build, reaching about 5 foot 4. She has cream skin but it’s barely visible due to the fact that it’s caked with blood and dirt.
The mysterious woman doesn’t say anything as she goes to the shelves and starts stuffing canned goods in her bag. Nicholas is the first to react to the woman, deciding to try and convince her to join their group. “Hey, you should come with us. You know, safety in numbers.” She doesn't reply or react at all. Nicholas steps towards her, adding, “I’m Nicholas.” She still doesn’t react and Nicholas places a hand on her shoulder. In a blur, she turns and swings, her fist slamming into his nose. Nicholas reers back and his hands fly to his face, blood seeping through his fingers. The woman turns and walks out without even a glance to the group. Josh goes to Nicholas to treat his nose while Jo-Jo follows the woman out. Josh pulls Nicholas’s hands away from his bloody face and inspects his nose. “It’s broken.” The doctor concludes and Rosie hands Josh a cloth, shaking her head. “Next time, remember that women are like wild animals. Don’t touch if you don’t want to get hurt.” Nicholas rolls his eyes at Rosie and snides, “Thanks for the insight.” Rosie chuckles.
“Where’s Andy?” Shawn asks and Opal looks around the mart for the man. “I don’t know. Maybe he went with Jo-Jo?” Opal suggests and Shawn nods, checking behind the counter. “Hey! Look at this!” He waves a newspaper and the words ‘Safe haven in D.C.’ on the front.

Days since Containment Failure: 1

The woman hesitates outside of the store, looking around to form a plan. “That was badass of you. The way you took out those things.” Jo-Jo states, standing near to the woman but not invading her personal space. Once again, the woman doesn’t acknowledge her.
“I’m Jo-Jo by the way.”
“Don’t care.” The woman finally retorts.
“She speaks.” Jo-Jo jokes and the woman scoffs before walking away from Jo-Jo. “Can I at least have something to call you?”
The woman doesn’t seem like she’s going to reply when she turns to look at Jo-Jo. “Isa.” She states before continuing away from the mart.
Isa comes across a residential street and starts searching the abandoned houses for weapons. As she enters the first one, her foot lands on something soft. Isa lifts her foot to look at what she stepped on: a stuffed rabbit. She picks up the toy and dusts it off before sticking it in her pack.
After a half hour, she’s been through about 15 houses and nearing 20 gun cabinets. “This is a hunting town in Colorado, where are all the guns?” She huffs frustratedly.
“Looking for these?” She turns towards the voice and sees Andy standing there, a duffle bag bulging with weapons in his hand. Isa raises an eyebrow at him, mentally cursing him. “I’ll share with you if you want. You just have to help us.” Andy offers.
“Nah, you keep ‘em, Pretty Boy.” She cuts her loss and starts to head up the road.
“I don’t think you have a choice, Tesoro.” Andy replies and she scoffs, continuing walking away from him.
A gunshot is heard and a bullet is embedded in the house beside her, about a half a foot away from her head.
“What the he-!” She exclaims, her words getting cut off by Andy.
“That’s not a pretty word, Bambino.” Isa turns and glares at him, ignoring the revolver in his hand.
“You son of a-” “Such a dirty mouth for a belladonna.” Andy interrupts her again, a hint of a teasing tone in his voice.
“What do you want?!” Isa exclaims, her annoyance growing at a steady rate.
“I thought I already told you. Weren’t you paying attention, Principessa?” Andy replies, his smooth tone and Italian names increasing her annoyance.
“Why do you want my help? Because I saved you? You people are the clingiest I’ve ever met!” Andy chuckles and closes the distance between him and Isa. She doesn’t back away, staring him down. He lifts the pistol and presses it under her chin, pulling back the hammer. “Maybe that’s why my companions are so persistent, but I, on the other hand, find the way you don’t flinch in the face of danger very attraente.” He purrs and Isa looks shocked before smiling flirtatiously.
“Really?” She asks and he nods. She brings her knee up in between his legs before grabbing his head and hitting his face on her already raised knee, efficiently knocking him out.
“How’s that for attraente, Stronzo?” She sneers before taking a rifle and a pistol from the bag, along with several boxes of ammunition.

❖ ❖ ❖

Isa crouches behind a log, her rifle aimed in the valley where a small herd of elk graze. She lines the crosshairs in the scope with one of the elk, taking in a breath before moving her finger to the trigger. A loud, crunching noise from the leaves and twigs send the elk running. Isa stands and pulls out her pistol, waiting for the creatures to show.
“Don’t shoot!” A male voice exclaims and Nicholas appears first, the rest of the group behind him.
“What is wrong with you people?!” Isa snarls, rage showing in her eyes.
“What’s wrong with us? We’re just trying to help you!” Opla exclaims and Isa laughs dryly, “Help me? Everything you people have done while trying to ‘help’ has just made it harder for me to survive.”
Jo-Jo holds her hands up calmingly. “Isa, just put the gun down. Yes, we’re selfish but we’re just tryin’ to survive like you and you just happen to be our best shot to make it to D.C. If you say no again, we’ll leave you alone but I don’t believe you want us to die. You’ve had the chance to kill us or let us die, several times, and you haven’t.” Isa narrows her eyes at them before disarming her gun.
“If you pull another stunt like you just did, I swear I won’t hesitate to shoot you.” She leads the way out of the woods and back into town while the group introduces themselves.
“Hey, what’s a fish without eyes?” Shawn asks, timidly.
“Really?” Andy gripes.
“What is a fish without eyes, Shawn?” Rosie asks, encouragingly.
“Fsh.” Shawn replies, his eyes down shyly. Rosie laughs and Shawn opens up a little.
“Do you have any more?” Rosie asks and Shawn clears his throat, “Why did the scarecrow win an award?”
Rosie waits patiently and Shawn replies, “He was outstanding in his field.” Rosie giggles and Jo-Jo cracks up.
“What do you call a pig that does karate?” Shawn asks and Andy interjects, unamusedly, “A pork chop.”
The mood of the group shifts and Isa snaps, “Shut up.” Andy looks at her, annoyed.
After some prompting, Shawn raises the mood by telling more jokes. The sun starts to set and one of the creatures howls, sending chills through the group.
“We should stop for the night.” Opal states and Isa replies, “You can rest when you’re dead.” Opal stops and tells Isa, “If we don’t stop, that’s what we’ll be.” Isa inhales in annoyance and turns to face Opal.
“You wanted my help and I want to get you to D.C. as fast as possible. We’re not stopping.” The others look between Opal and Isa, seeing who’s going to break eye contact first. After moments of silence, Isa continues walking.
“Where are you going?” Shawn asks and Isa announces, “I’m not stopping. You all do what you want.” One by one, the group slowly leaves Opal and begins to follow Isa.
“We need her, Opal.” Shawn states before following Isa. Opal stands alone in the road for a minute before following the others.






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